Multi-step progress indicator and method for indicating progress in a multi-step computer application

ABSTRACT

A system and method for displaying and providing access to information on a display unit are provided for combining a plurality of logical progression steps into a plurality of predetermined groups. Each of the plurality of predetermined groups includes a subset of data. The system and method includes displaying the plurality of predetermined groups in a collapsed format; prompting a user to expand a first group of the plurality of predetermined groups; allowing the user to access and input data into the first group; and allowing the user to access a second group of the plurality of predetermined groups once all logical progression steps in the first group have been completed by the user.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to software applications, and, morespecifically, to a method and system for displaying and providing accessto information on a display unit by use of a progress indicator designedfor wizard-like software applications.

BACKGROUND

With the influx of thousands of computer software applications, it hasbecome difficult to quickly and efficiently learn how to use such newsoftware. One way that software developers have enabled users to learnthe software they produce is via software wizards. A wizard is a userinterface element where the user is led through a sequence of dialogs. Awizard consists of multiple wizard pages that a user progresses throughby clicking on the Next or Back buttons. Each wizard page of the wizardprovides some information to the user to guide him or her through asubset of tasks necessary to complete a larger task. Wizards are usedvery commonly within graphical user interface operating systems and byhundreds of applications that run in these operating systems. With awizard, the user is guided in performing the task in a specificsequence.

The challenge is indicating to users of software wizard applications thestep they are on in a multi-step process, the steps they have alreadycompleted, and the steps that are remaining, without taking up too muchvaluable real estate on the user interface. Currently, one method forindicating progress in a wizard-like user interface is to simply showthe user the current step in the process. However, this approach doesnot provide the user with enough feedback. Another approach is to listall the steps in the process, which can take up too much space andappear discouraging to the user.

Consequently, none of these methods has presented a desirable solutionfor indicating to a user of software the step the user is on, the stepsremaining, and/or the steps completed in a lengthy process. Therefore,it would be highly desirable to provide a method and system fordisplaying and providing access to information on a display unit by useof a progress indicator designed for wizard-like software applications.

SUMMARY

A method is provided for displaying and providing access to informationon a display unit. The method includes combining a plurality of logicalprogression steps into a plurality of predetermined groups. Each of theplurality of predetermined groups includes a subset of data. The methodfurther includes displaying the plurality of predetermined groups in acollapsed format; prompting a user to expand a first group of theplurality of predetermined groups; allowing the user to access and inputdata into the first group; and allowing the user to access a secondgroup of the plurality of predetermined groups once all logicalprogression steps in the first group have been completed by the user.

A system is also provided for displaying and providing access toinformation. The system includes a software application for combining aplurality of logical progression steps into a plurality of predeterminedgroups. Each of the plurality of predetermined groups includes a subsetof data. The system further includes a display unit for displaying theplurality of predetermined groups in a collapsed format; aninputting/outputting device for: prompting a user to expand a firstgroup of the plurality of predetermined groups; allowing the user toaccess and input data into the first group; and allowing the user toaccess a second group of the plurality of predetermined groups once alllogical progression steps in the first group have been completed by theuser.

A computer program product is also provided for displaying and providingaccess to information on a display unit. The computer program productincludes a storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storinginstructions for execution by the processing circuit for facilitating amethod. The method includes combining a plurality of logical progressionsteps into a plurality of predetermined groups. Each of the plurality ofpredetermined groups including a subset of data. The method furtherincludes displaying the plurality of predetermined groups in a collapsedformat; prompting a user to expand a first group of the plurality ofpredetermined groups; allowing the user to access and input data intothe first group; and allowing the user to access a second group of theplurality of predetermined groups once all logical progression steps inthe first group have been completed by the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional linear progress indicator;

FIG. 2 illustrates a progress indicator including a plurality of groupseach having a plurality of steps in accordance with the exemplaryembodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a complex workflow process implementing the progressindicator software described in FIG. 2 in accordance with the exemplaryembodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure pertain to a systemand method for displaying and providing access to information on adisplay unit by use of a progress indicator designed for wizard-likesoftware applications.

Specifically, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosurepertain to a progress indicator designed for software wizardapplications that include several steps. The steps in the softwarewizard are grouped together into manageable groups that expand andcollapse as the users work their way through the software wizard. Thecurrent group of steps may be indicated with shading and the currentstep within that group may be marked with an indicator. The completedsteps may be visually indicated with a check mark. Each step in theprogress bar also acts as a hyperlink to that step, so that the user canquickly return to a step without many clicks of the back button. Thesefeatures will become better understood with regard to the followingdescription of the exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional linear progress indicator of a 15-stepprocess. The process 10 includes a first step 12, a second step 14, athird step 16, a fourth step 18, and a fifteenth step 20.

In FIG. 1, the first step 12 has been completed, the second step 14 hasbeen completed, and the process 10 is currently located at the thirdstep 16. The process 10 awaits the user to complete the third step 16 inorder to move onto the fourth step 18. However, the user is not aware ofthe fact that he or she is currently on the third step 16 of the process10. The user is also not aware that the fifteenth step 20 is the laststep of the process 10. None of this information is available to a userutilizing a conventional software wizard program.

As a result, in this conventional approach, a user is led through alengthy sequence of steps in which the user is unfamiliar with thenumber of steps completed and the number of steps remaining. Thisapproach not only takes up too much screen real estate, but the task athand may seem daunting to the user. Consequently, not providing enoughfeedback to the user produces a user that may be discouraged infinishing all the steps in the process 10 and attempt to use thesoftware by a trial-and-error basis, instead of using the softwarewizard developed by the software engineers.

FIG. 2 illustrates a progress indicator including a plurality of groupseach having a plurality of steps in accordance with the exemplaryembodiments of the present disclosure. The multi-step progress indicator30 includes a first progress view 32, a second progress view 34, a thirdprogress view 36, a fourth progress view 38, a first group 40, a secondgroup 42, a third group 44, a set of steps for group one 46, a completedset of steps for group one 48, a set of steps for group two 50, and aset of steps for group three 52.

FIG. 2 provides an example of how the multi-step progress indicator 30would first appear to the user. The visual indicators in the firstprogress view 32 provide feedback to the user that the user is currentlyon step 1 of group 1 and no steps have been completed. Groups 2 and 3are currently collapsed in the first progress view 32. After the usercompletes the first 2 steps, the multi-step progress indicator 30 lookslike the second progress view 34.

In the second progress view 34, the user is on step 3 of group 1 (asindicated by the arrow and the bold text). When step 5 is completed andthe user clicks the Next button, the set of steps for group one 46collapses and group 2 expands, so that the multi-step progress indicator30 looks like the third progress view 36.

In the third progress view 36, the check mark in group 1 indicates allof the steps in that set have been completed (i.e., set of steps forgroup one 46). The user is now on the first step in group 2 (asindicated by the arrow and the bold text). After completion of the setof steps of group two 50, and upon clicking the Next button, group 2collapses and group 3 expands. The multi-step progress indicator 30looks like the fourth progress view 38.

In the fourth progress view 38, the first 2 groups of steps have beencompleted (i.e., set of steps for group one 46 and the second set ofsteps for group two 50) and the user is on the last group. The user canreturn to any of the previous steps by clicking anywhere in the shadedarea to expand the group and then clicking on the specific step toreturn directly to that step. The user is now on the first step in group3 (as indicated by the arrow and the bold text). After completion of theset of steps of group three 52, and upon clicking the Next button, group3 collapses and the user is aware of the fact that the multi-stepprogress indicator 30 has been satisfactorily completed.

FIG. 3 illustrates a complex workflow process implementing the progressindicator software described in FIG. 2 in accordance with the exemplaryembodiments of the present disclosure. The flowchart 60 includes anexternal applications/partners box 62, an SDI applications box 64, afirst DOCS applications box 66, a PSG applications box 68, and a secondDOCS applications box 70.

The external applications/partners box 62 includes a create ticket icon1, a create budget icon 2, a budget email to customer icon 3, an assigntasks icon 4, a designers perform tasks icon 5, a record type of workicon 6, a send artwork to customer icon 7, an art approver email icon 8,a send to DP&P icon 9, an FTP icon 9 a, a record charges icon 10, aconfirm complete icon 11, a customer confirmation icon 12, and a closeticket icon 13.

The SDI applications box 64 includes a process SR icon 9 f and a XSMdatabase icon 9 g.

The first DOCS applications box 66 includes a send to DP&P icon 9 b anda generate SR in SDI icon 9 e.

The PSG applications box 68 includes an artwork and JDF processed andprinted icon 9 c.

The second DOCS applications box 70 includes an artwork and JDFprocessed and printed icon 9 d.

The external applications/partners box 62 can be thought of as a firstgroup, the SDI applications box 64 can be thought of as a second group,the first DOCS applications box 66 can be thought of as a third group,the PSG applications box 68 can be thought of as a fourth group, and thesecond DOCS applications box 70 can be thought of as a fifth group.

Each of these five groups consists of a number of steps in a multi-stepprocess. The first group includes 13 steps, the second group includes 2steps, the third group includes 2 steps, the fourth group includes 1step, and the fifth group includes 1 step. The multi-step progressindicator 30 of FIG. 2 can be used to indicate the progression of stepscompleted by a user.

Another example where the teachings of the present disclosure can bebeneficial is completing mortgage documents. It is well known that themanagement of mortgage applications is a time-consuming process whichrequires tracking many documents through the life of the application.The exemplary embodiments described herein can aid the personresponsible for the mortgage documents by giving a quick and clearindication of where the application is in the process.

The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure could also be usedto track a user's progress through a complex job ticketing system orworkflow manager. Xerox® also has a complex customer qualificationprocess in which subsequent steps are dependant on the responses toprevious steps. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosurecould be used with a customer qualification form by dynamicallydisplaying the steps remaining in one or more processes.

It will be appreciated that variations of the above-disclosed and otherfeatures and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirablycombined into many other different systems or applications. Variouspresently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications,variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by thoseskilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by thefollowing claims. The claims can encompass embodiments in hardware,software, or combinations thereof.

1. A method for displaying and providing access to information on adisplay unit, the method comprising: combining a plurality of logicalprogression steps into a plurality of predetermined groups, each of theplurality of predetermined groups includes a subset of data; displayingthe plurality of predetermined groups in a collapsed format; prompting auser to expand a first group of the plurality of predetermined groups;allowing the user to access and input data into the first group; andallowing the user to access a second group of the plurality ofpredetermined groups once all logical progression steps in the firstgroup have been completed by the user.
 2. The method according to claim1, wherein each group of the plurality of predetermined groups containsa same number of logical progression steps.
 3. The method according toclaim 1, wherein each group of the plurality of predetermined groupscontains a different number of logical progression steps.
 4. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein each group of the plurality ofpredetermined groups continuously indicates to the user what step of themulti-step logical progression the user has reached.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein one or more indicators indicate to theuser which groups of the plurality of predetermined groups has beencompleted.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein one group of theplurality of predetermined groups is in expanded format, whereas all theother groups of the plurality of predetermined groups are in collapsedformat.
 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality ofpredetermined groups are incorporated within a web-based wizard-likesoftware program.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein theplurality of predetermined groups are completed in a sequential order.9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality ofpredetermined groups are completed in a non-sequential order.
 10. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein an active group of the plurality ofpredetermined groups is displayed in a different format then all thenon-active groups of the plurality of predetermined groups.
 11. A systemfor displaying and providing access to information, the systemcomprising: a software application for combining a plurality of logicalprogression steps into a plurality of predetermined groups, each of theplurality of predetermined groups includes a subset of data; a displayunit for displaying the plurality of predetermined groups in a collapsedformat; an inputting/outputting device for: prompting a user to expand afirst group of the plurality of predetermined groups; allowing the userto access and input data into the first group; and allowing the user toaccess a second group of the plurality of predetermined groups once alllogical progression steps in the first group have been completed by theuser.
 12. The system according to claim 11, wherein each group of theplurality of predetermined groups contains a same number of logicalprogression steps.
 13. The system according to claim 11, wherein eachgroup of the plurality of predetermined groups contains a differentnumber of logical progression steps.
 14. The system according to claim11, wherein each group of the plurality of predetermined groupscontinuously indicates to the user what step of the multi-step logicalprogression the user has reached.
 15. The system according to claim 11,wherein one or more indicators indicate to the user which groups of theplurality of predetermined groups has been completed.
 16. The systemaccording to claim 11, wherein one group of the plurality ofpredetermined groups is in expanded format, whereas all the other groupsof the plurality of predetermined groups are in collapsed format. 17.The system according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of predeterminedgroups are incorporated within a web-based wizard-like software program.18. The system according to claim 11, wherein the plurality ofpredetermined groups are completed in a sequential order.
 19. The systemaccording to claim 11, wherein the plurality of predetermined groups arecompleted in a non-sequential order.
 20. The system according to claim11, wherein an active group of the plurality of predetermined groups isdisplayed in a different format then all the non-active groups of theplurality of predetermined groups.
 21. A computer program product fordisplaying and providing access to information on a display unit, thecomputer program product comprising: a storage medium readable by aprocessing circuit and storing instructions for execution by theprocessing circuit for facilitating a method comprising: combining aplurality of logical progression steps into a plurality of predeterminedgroups, each of the plurality of predetermined groups includes a subsetof data; displaying the plurality of predetermined groups in a collapsedformat; prompting a user to expand a first group of the plurality ofpredetermined groups; allowing the user to access and input data intothe first group; and allowing the user to access a second group of theplurality of predetermined groups once all logical progression steps inthe first group have been completed by the user.